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Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Amplified Bible

Amos 7:5

Then I said, "O Lord GOD, please stop! How can Jacob stand, For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Intercession;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Visions;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Forgiveness;   Grief, Grieving;   Spirituality;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Amos;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Advocate;   Amos;   Intercession;   Repentance of God;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Amos;   Prayer;   Vision;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - How;   Writing;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Moon;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then I said, “Lord God, please stop! How will Jacob survive since he is so small?”
Hebrew Names Version
Then I said, "Lord GOD, stop, I beg you! How could Ya`akov stand? For he is small."
King James Version (1611)
Then said I, O Lord God , cease, I beseech thee, by whom shal Iacob arise? for he is small.
King James Version
Then said I, O Lord God , cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
English Standard Version
Then I said, "O Lord God , please cease! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!"
New American Standard Bible
Then I said, "Lord GOD, please stop! How can Jacob stand? For he is small."
New Century Version
Then I cried out, "Lord God , stop! How could Israel live through this? It is too small already."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then said I, O Lord God, cease, I beseeche thee: who shal raise vp Iaakob? for he is small.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then I said, "Lord GOD, please stop! How can Jacob stand, for he is small?"
Legacy Standard Bible
Then I said,"Lord Yahweh, please stop!How can Jacob rise up, for he is small?"
Berean Standard Bible
Then I said, "Lord GOD, please stop! How will Jacob survive, since he is so small?"
Contemporary English Version
Then I said, "Won't you please stop? How can our weak nation survive?"
Complete Jewish Bible
But I said, "Adonai Elohim , stop — please! How will tiny Ya‘akov survive?"
Darby Translation
Then said I, O Lord Jehovah, cease, I beseech thee! How shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
Easy-to-Read Version
But I said, "Lord God , stop, I beg you! Jacob cannot survive! He is too small!"
George Lamsa Translation
Then I said, O LORD God, forgive. Who shall raise up Jacob? For he is small in numbers.
Good News Translation
Then I said, "Stop, O Sovereign Lord ! How can your people survive? They are so small and weak!"
Lexham English Bible
Then I said, "O Lord Yahweh, please stop! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?"
Literal Translation
Then I said, Lord Jehovah, I beg You, stop. How can Jacob rise up? For he is small.
American Standard Version
Then said I, O Lord Jehovah, cease, I beseech thee: how shall Jacob stand? for he is small.
Bible in Basic English
Then said I, O Lord God, let there be an end: how will Jacob be able to keep his place? for he is small.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said I: O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech Thee; how shall Jacob stand? for he is small.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde I, O Lorde God, ceasse I beseche thee: who shall rayse vp Iacob? for he is smal.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Then I said, O Lord, cease, I pray thee: who shall raise up Jacob? for he is small in number. Repent, O Lord, for this.
English Revised Version
Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: how shall Jacob stand? for he is small.
World English Bible
Then I said, "Lord Yahweh, stop, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y seide, Lord God, Y biseche, reste thou; who schal reise Jacob, for he is litil?
Update Bible Version
Then I said, O Lord Yahweh, cease, I urge you: how shall Jacob stand? for he is small.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he [is] small.
New English Translation
I said, "Sovereign Lord , stop! How can Jacob survive? He is too weak!"
New King James Version
Then I said: "O Lord GOD, cease, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small!"
New Living Translation
Then I said, "O Sovereign Lord , please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small."
New Life Bible
Then I said, "Lord God, I beg You to stop! How can Jacob stay alive, for he is so small?"
New Revised Standard
Then I said, "O Lord God , cease, I beg you! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said I, My Lord, Yahweh, forbear, I beseech thee, By whom shall Jacob, arise? for, small, he is.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said: O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee, who shall raise up Jacob, for he is a little one?
Revised Standard Version
Then I said, "O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!"
Young's Literal Translation
`Lord Jehovah, cease, I pray Thee, How doth Jacob arise -- for he [is] small?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde I: O LORDE God, holde thyne honde: for who shulde els helpe vp Iacob that is brought so lowe?
THE MESSAGE
I said, " God , my Master! Hold it—please! What's going to come of Jacob? He's so small."

Contextual Overview

1Thus the Lord GOD showed me [a vision], and behold, He was forming a swarm of locusts when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king's mowing. 2And when the locusts had finished eating the plants of the land, then I said, "O Lord GOD, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?" 3The LORD revoked this sentence. "It shall not take place," said the LORD. 4Thus the Lord GOD showed me, and behold, the Lord GOD called for punishment with fire, and it devoured the great deep [underground sources of water] and began to consume the land. 5Then I said, "O Lord GOD, please stop! How can Jacob stand, For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?"6The LORD revoked this sentence. "This also shall not be," said the Lord GOD. 7Thus He showed me [a vision], and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand [to determine if the wall was straight or if it needed to be destroyed]. 8The LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "Behold, I am setting a plumb line [as a standard] Among My people Israel [showing the defectiveness of the nation, requiring judgment]. I shall not spare them any longer. [The door of mercy is shut.] 9"And the [idolatrous] high places of Isaac (Israel) will be devastated and deserted, And the sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins. Then I shall rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword [and destroy the monarchy]."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cease: Amos 7:2, Psalms 85:4, Isaiah 10:25

for: Amos 7:2, Amos 7:3, Isaiah 1:9, Jeremiah 30:19

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 9:19 - But the Ezekiel 11:13 - Ah Joel 2:17 - Spare

Cross-References

Genesis 6:22
So Noah did this; according to all that God commanded him, that is what he did.
Exodus 39:32
Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished; and the Israelites did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; that is what they did.
Exodus 40:16
Thus Moses did; in accordance with all that the LORD commanded him, so he did.
Psalms 119:6
Then I will not be ashamed When I look [with respect] to all Your commandments [as my guide].
Matthew 3:15
But Jesus replied to him, "Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John permitted [it and baptized] Him.
Luke 8:21
But He answered, "My mother and My brothers are these who listen to the word of God and do it!"
John 2:5
His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
John 13:17
"If you know these things, you are blessed [happy and favored by God] if you put them into practice [and faithfully do them].
Philippians 2:8
After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Hebrews 5:8
Although He was a Son [who had never been disobedient to the Father], He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said I, O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee,.... From destroying the land; suffer not this calamity to proceed any further; using the same argument as before:

by whom shall Jacob arise? for he [is] small; :-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As our Lord repeated the same words in the Garden, so Amos interceded with God with words, all but one, the same, and with the same plea, that, if God did not help, Israel was indeed helpless. Yet a second time God spared Israel. To human sight, what so strange and unexpected, as that the Assyrian and his army, having utterly destroyed the kingdom of Damascus, and carried away its people, and having devoured, like fire, more than half of Israel, rolled back like an ebb-tide, swept away to ravage other countries, and spared the capital? And who, looking at the mere outside of things, would have thought that that tide of fire was rolled back, not by anything in that day, but by the prophet’s prayer some 47 years before? Man would look doubtless for motives of human policy, which led Tiglath-pileser to accept tribute from Pekah, while he killed Rezin; and while he carried off all the Syrians of Damascus, to leave half of Israel to be removed by his successor.

Humanly speaking, it was a mistake. He “scotched” his enemy only, and left him to make alliance with Egypt, his rival, who disputed with him the possession of the countries which lay between them. If we knew the details of Assyrian policy, we might know what induced him to turn aside in his conquest. There were, and always are, human motives. They do not interfere with the ground in the mind of God, who directs and controls them. Even in human contrivances, the wheels, interlacing one another, and acting one on the other, do but transmit, the one to the other, the motion and impulse which they have received from the central force. The revolution of the earth around its own center does not interfere with, rather it is a condition of its revolving round the center of our system, and, amidst the alternations of night and day, brings each several portion within the influence of the sun around which it revolves. The affairs of human kingdoms have their own subordinate centers of human policy, yet even thereby they the more revolve in the circuit of God’s appointment. In the history of His former people God gives us a glimpse into a hidden order of things, the secret spring and power of His wisdom, which sets in motion that intricate and complex machinery which alone we see, and in the sight of which people lose the consciousness of the unseen agency. While man strives with man, prayer, suggested by God, moves God, the Ruler of all.


 
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